The present invention relates to an evacuation system for the removal of bedridden patients from multistory hospitals, nursing homes, and the like, which system is efficient and easily manipulatable by the patient, or an attendant.
Much concern has been expressed over the patent inability to evacuate bedridden patients from multistory hospitals, nursing homes, and the like in the event of a catastrophe such as fire, earthquake, or other natural or accidental occurance which would dictate evacuation. During the occurance of any such disaster, particularly, fire, there is a likelihood that a loss of power will exist throughout the disaster, thereby rendering elevators unavailable for use for evacuation. In fact cessation of use of elevators is recommended in the event of fire from any multistory structure due to the hazzards accompanying same. While ambulatory patients may walk down the stairs from a number of stories without any significant problems, it has been shown through trials that two healthy attendants carrying a one hundred and fifty pound patient require assistance after three floors. Moreover, while the attendant fatigue factor is quite paramount, also there are generally not enough staff and/or attendants on duty at any one time to successfully evacuate a multistory hospital, nursing home or the like if more than one attendant is required for evacuation of every patient. Still further, with a conventional stretcher exceeding seven feet in length, difficulty can be encountered in negotiating the curves at landings between flights of stairs.
Prior systems have been devised for enabling inhabitant evacuation from multistory structures generally. Such devices, however, are not primarily intended for, or suitable for, hospital or nursing home use where nonambulatory patients need to be evacuated. Many of the prior devices include assemblies that permit an individual to climb inside a chute and to slide down the chute to ground level. Such of course would be totally unsuitable for hospital use. Other systems have included structures exterior to the building which follow a zig zag path down an outside wall of the building or down a further structure secured to an outside wall of the building. In such exterior systems, cars of some description may be associated with a zig zag track to follow same during the descent from upper stories. Again, such structures are totally unsuitable for hospital use where attendants will be necessary for many, if not the majority, of the patients to be evacuated. Specifically, while the evacuation cars of the prior art are suitable for descent down a vertical zig zag trackway, and are generally equipped with a braking device, the angle of descent and the size of the cars prohibits use of stretchers or some other type patient carrying element for receipt of a patient in a suppine or generally suppine position. Also, many patients being evacuated would be incapable of manipulating a hand brake to slow the descent of the car along the vertical zig zag track.
The known prior art structures also often require construction of a suitable housing for the system. Should a housing be necessary, as mentioned above, same would be added to the exterior of the multistory structure.
The present invention overcomes the problems specified above and others with respect to prior art systems, in an environment for evacuating nonambulatory patients from a multistory hospital or the like. Not only is the present system quite efficient in use, and capable of permitting gradual, controlled descent of a patient a sitting or suppine position with attendants to assist the patient in descent, if necessary, the system may be retrofitted into any existing multistory structure in which a stairwell is provided throughout the height of the building. Furthermore, while the present system is securable within an existing stairwell, it is very important to point out that when not in use for evacuation, normal use of the stairwell is not impaired in any way. Last but not least, the simplicity of the present system coupled with a lack of need for a power supply, lends itself to practical and economical utilization.
There is no known prior art that would teach or suggest the patient evacuation system of the present invention. Exemplary of known prior art which is broadly discussed above includes: U.S. Pat. Nos. 952,239 to Davidson; 1,950,996 to Potter; 3,831,711 to Smith; 3,915,258 to Nusslein; 3,944,021 to Smith, Jr., et al; 4,049,080 to Suzuki; 4,079,812 to Naka; 4,122,917 to Kendricki; 4,125,172 to Hatala; 4,207,965 to Chiang-Cheng et al; 4,262,772 to Richardson; 4,267,900 to Yin-Lung.